Yemeni charged in cockpit attack on flight to S.F.

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Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Passengers heading for their flights walk past retired police officer Larry Wright as he describes how he took down a disturbed passenger when he rushed the cockpit door on a flight from Chicago on Sunday night, at a news conference at SFO in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, May 10, 2011. less

Passengers heading for their flights walk past retired police officer Larry Wright as he describes how he took down a disturbed passenger when he rushed the cockpit door on a flight from Chicago on Sunday ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

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Retired police officer Larry Wright describes how he took down a disturbed passenger when he rushed the cockpit door on a flight from Chicago on Sunday night, at a news conference at SFO in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, May 10, 2011. less

Retired police officer Larry Wright describes how he took down a disturbed passenger when he rushed the cockpit door on a flight from Chicago on Sunday night, at a news conference at SFO in San Francisco, ... more

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

Yemeni charged in cockpit attack on flight to S.F.

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(05-10) 15:21 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A Yemeni immigrant who allegedly tried to break into the locked cockpit of a flight bound for San Francisco carried no luggage, prosecutors said Tuesday as a judge ordered him held without bail on the grounds that he was a threat to the community.

Al-Murisi repeatedly yelled, "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great," when he strode toward the cockpit of the American Airlines Boeing 737 and tried to force open the door as the plane approached San Francisco International Airport on Sunday night, Becker said.

The federal prosecutor noted that the Arabic phrase has been used by Muslim terrorists in other high-profile crimes, including al Qaeda operatives during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Army major who opened fire at Fort Hood, Texas, in November 2009, killing 13 U.S. soldiers.

"The defendant poses a significant threat," Becker said. "He attempted to enter the cockpit right before a critical part of the flight."

Al-Murisi, who appeared in court with an Arabic interpreter, is charged with interfering with a flight crew. He was ordered to return to court Friday for a detention hearing.

Outside court, Ahmed Almoraissi, 25, of Vallejo said his cousin was not a terrorist and has worked as a math teacher in Yemen, where his wife and children live. Almoraissi said he was at a loss to explain Al-Murisi's behavior.

'Very normal guy'

"He's a very normal guy," Almoraissi said. "He has no intention of hurting nobody. I don't know what happened on the plane. It doesn't make sense."

Authorities have not outlined a possible motive for Al-Murisi's alleged actions. Becker, however, said there were enough suspicious circumstances to justify keeping him behind bars.

He did not tell his cousins in Vallejo that he was coming from New York, and none of his belongings were at his relatives' home, the prosecutor said.

Relatives say Al-Murisi once lived on Sonoma Boulevard in Vallejo - next to the Islamic Center of Vallejo - but moved to New York about a year ago in hopes of finding a job to support his family.

Al-Murisi arrived in the United States on an immigrant visa in January 2010 and has a permanent residency card, Becker said. He obtained driver's licenses in both New York and California and has two learner's permits in New York, the prosecutor said without elaborating.

Al-Murisi carried two postdated checks, one dated May 15 for $5,000 and the other dated June 20 for $8,000, Becker said. Besides that, he had only $47 and an Apple charger on him.

The incident began about 8:50 p.m. Sunday when American Airlines Flight 1561, carrying 156 passengers and six crew members from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, was about a half hour from landing at SFO.

Moving into action

Al-Murisi walked quickly to the front of the plane while shouting, "Allahu akbar," tried the cockpit door handle and then rammed the door with his shoulder, prompting a flight attendant to yell, "I need help - now!" witnesses said.

Other flight attendants, retired San Mateo police Officer Larry Wright, a retired Secret Service agent, an off-duty American Airlines pilot, and Olympic shot put champion Bill Nieder jumped from their seats to help subdue him.

Nieder, 77, of Angels Camp (Calaveras County), who won the gold medal in Rome in 1960, said, "My thought was he was trying to get into the pilots' area. It happened so quick I didn't have time to be scared."

Retired officer acts fast

Wright, 54, who retired from the San Mateo police force four years ago after a 27-year career, said he believed Al-Murisi may have been trying to "crash the airplane."

Al-Murisi said "Allahu akbar" about 30 times during the incident, and his skin was clammy, "moist, almost," Wright said.

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Wright said the Sept. 11 attacks were on his mind when he acted. "When the twin towers fell, I swore to myself that I would never be a victim," he said.

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